Late night revelation

I take Zoloft. I’ve been on medication for ten years, but have just started Zoloft recently. I’m still on an increasing dose, although where I am now seems pretty good most days. I’m trying to determine if I like where I am right now or if I should continue the increase.

Some days I feel like the medication is not working very well. It’s so difficult to describe, but I feel un-medicated. I am used to having a medication that masks all of my emotions, rendering me robotic. I switched medications because I wanted to try having a wider range of emotions: I was getting tired of having only numb and number. Although I am coping better since starting this medication, I don’t have that overly medicated zombie-esque façade to which I become accustomed. Quite often it would go through my mind that perhaps this medication was not working.

Today, I forgot to take my pill. I have an alarm set on my phone that goes off at 8:00am during the week and 9:00am on weekends to remind me to take my pill. Every morning I try to remember to take the pill before my alarm goes off; it’s some kind of game I play against myself. Last night I was up late and today I had to start working an event at noon, so instead of setting myself an extra alarm to wake me, I decided to just use the pill reminder alarm. I forgot to take my pill and there was no second alarm to remind me.

Halfway through my event today I realized that I had forgotten to take my medication. I was working so I knew I wouldn’t be able to take it until tonight. I made a mental note in my head and reminded myself that these pills didn’t seem to be doing much so it likely didn’t matter that I’d forgotten today’s dosage. My day went on and I took the pill when I got home.

On an unrelated note, I’ve spent the day stressing over a personal situation. I like someone, I think they like me back, I don’t know how much…I’m pretty much a teenager. I’ve gone full “girl crazy” as I obsess over it.

And then I feel stupid for overthinking the situation. I always do this: I overanalyze everything. I tell myself over and over again that I need to stop stressing myself out. At the same time, however, I tell myself that I’m probably right: he probably doesn’t like me.

I think, you are so stupid. Why do I keep doing this? Why do I let myself get hurt? Why do I overthink and overanalyze and why do I care? Why can’t I just shut off and let no one in? Why did I think it was okay to let someone in?

I should just kill myself.

That’s when I stopped. I completely froze. I was walking from my bedroom to the living room and I stopped dead in my tracks. A whoosh of breath took the word “whoa” out of my lungs and into the silent room.

I started talking to my brain as if it were two separate people: an intimidated nerd against the unapologetic bully. I couldn’t let this bully speak to me like that. I gave myself a pep talk. It’s not okay to say those things. I need to have respect for myself. I am worthy of respect. Why on Earth was I saying these things?

Ah. Right. The medication.

The medication IS working. See what happens when I don’t take the medication? I become even more self-deprecating; suicidal, even. Although maybe with the medication I am still somewhat crazy as evidenced by the fact that there seem to be two people in my brain. Three, really, if you take into account this third party referee.

But it is really nice to see that the medication is working. It is not masking my symptoms by creating a new mask. It is allowing me to feel…I have a new range of emotions. Some of them suck, but they’re there. The medication allows me those emotions, but keeps away the really dark thoughts and feelings. It’s like a dreamcatcher: it catches the bad thoughts and washes them away with the light.

So, I’m going to take some deep breaths. I’m going to try to not freak out. I am worth it. Maybe you see that I’m worth it. I hope that you see, but maybe you don’t. And that would hurt, because I do feel. I am human. But I will heal and I will be okay. You can bend me and you can bruise me but you can’t break me.

I can’t tell you the future. You can’t tell me. But I have today. I know how I felt with you. And if by some chance you don’t feel the same way, that’s okay. I’m okay…or at least, I will be.